Chapter 150 Fainting
Di Renjie arrived with his old partners Wang Jian, the chief clerk of the Dali Temple, and Su Qi, the censor. As soon as they entered the alley, Di Renjie looked at the footprints at the entrance and realized that someone had definitely been there beforehand.
"Judge Chai, someone must have been here before, right?"
Di Renjie gestured to Chai Sifa to look at the messy footprints on the ground, which also included what looked like wheel tracks.
"In response to your question, Lord Di, it is true that Commander Xue brought his men here. However, Lord Di, rest assured, Commander Xue did not disturb the scene. He only looked at the body of the man in black and then left."
Di Renjie remained noncommittal, cupped his hands in greeting, and led his men to survey the surrounding area.
After Di Renjie and Chai Sifa examined the body of the man in black, the coroners from the Dali Temple and the Jingzhao Prefecture stepped forward one by one to examine the body.
Half an hour later, the group arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture. The body of the man in black was sent to the morgue for further examination, while the green-skinned man and the big man were naturally taken to the prefectural office and sent to the prison to be detained.
Furthermore, the old man Wang, the driver of the donkey cart, was also found by the Jinwu Guards who were left to search for his whereabouts in a ditch across the street.
Old Wang's life was temporarily out of danger, but he was hit on the back of the head with a hard object by a big man and then carelessly thrown into the cold, damp ditch. He was not found until dawn.
He has been taken to the nearest clinic for treatment, but it's uncertain whether he will survive.
When Di Renjie arrived at the government office, he greeted the Prefect of the Capital and exchanged pleasantries. After the Prefect instructed Judge Chai to cooperate fully with the Dali Temple's investigation, Di Renjie met with Judge Chai in a side hall. They first met with the Jinwu Guards who were on duty in Changshou Ward that night, and then with the Jinwu Guards who were on duty in Yongping Ward.
During the questioning, the coroner in the morgue was also conducting a further careful examination of the black-clad man's body. The coroners from the Dali Temple had handled more murder cases, and they actually found a tattoo on the back of the black-clad man's neck that was clearly added later. The coroner carefully made a rubbing of it onto a piece of paper and left it to be handed over to his superior.
Meanwhile, the Li family members, along with Granny Wang, who had been detained in a side hall by the head constable of the Jingzhao Prefecture, were also told to wait and be questioned individually.
"Oh dear, Third Sister, this has happened! She was supposed to go to work today, but she can't go now. Shouldn't we ask for leave for her?"
Brother Li suddenly spoke up, thinking that if they were lucky, Li San Niang might be fine and acquitted. But life would still go on, so he should ask for leave.
"It's alright. We can go to the Alliance and say something after the officials from the Court of Judicial Review have finished their questioning."
Di Renjie had previously wondered if the Li Sanniang in this murder case was the same Li Sanniang he knew before. When he saw the case file handed over by Judge Chai, good heavens, it really was the Li Sanniang he knew.
Di Renjie thought to himself, "Is this a compliment to myself for having good judgment, for recognizing that Li Sanniang was no ordinary person? Or is it a compliment to Li Sanniang for being so capable that Emperor Wu of the Tang Dynasty knew her name and even specially appointed her, Di Renjie, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, to investigate such a case?"
Di Renjie sensed something unusual about this. Xue Yao, the commander of the Imperial Guard, wasn't someone who meddled in trivial matters; he mostly worked for Emperor Wu. If Xue Yao was willing to go to the scene to investigate, then the Li San Niang murder case was definitely not as simple as it appeared at the moment.
Furthermore, Di Renjie had handled countless cases, and he could tell that Xue Yao's side had not been to the scene alone. The obvious tire tracks indicated that a second party had also been there.
The only group capable of concealing the matter from the Jingzhao Prefecture unscathed, right under the noses of the Jinwu Guards and the Imperial Guards, could be another secret agent under Emperor Wu's command—the Bad People.
Di Renjie sighed inwardly, "What a hassle."
However, having received the emperor's bounty, Di Renjie had no choice but to do his utmost to fulfill his duty. Since Emperor Wu had demanded the truth be known within seven days, Di Renjie had no choice but to do his best.
"Is Li San Niangzi still at the government office?"
"Yes, he is still here. Since we don't know what to do, he hasn't been detained. He's just being kept in a side room under guard, with a female official guarding the door."
Di Renjie nodded. "I examined the scene and heard from the soldiers of the Imperial Guard that Li Sanniang must have had a fierce fight with the man in black. Was she injured? Is she alright now?"
“Um… well… we were afraid that Li San Niang was colluding with others, so since she was brought to the government office by the Imperial Guards last night, we only allowed one female clerk to have contact with her. Li San Niang’s family applied to visit her this morning, but the prefect did not grant their request, and only allowed her to change into the clothes her mother had brought. However, the clothes Li San Niang wore at the crime scene and the knife she used have been confiscated.”
Di Renjie didn't know what to say. The Jingzhao Prefecture and the Dali Temple were not the same department, which made things difficult for them.
"Beyond the law, there is also human sentiment. Li San Niang is just a young girl. She must have been injured fighting with a man who was clearly skilled in martial arts. Although she is the key to the murder case and should not have contact with outsiders, since we want to find out the truth, we must ensure that Li San Niang survives."
"Yes, then shall I find a doctor to examine her?"
"A female official must be present to ensure there is no collusion."
"promise."
But when Judge Chai ordered his subordinates to find a doctor to treat Li San Niang's injuries, the female official opened the door and only saw Li San Niang lying unconscious on the ground.
Li San Niang was just an ordinary woman with no martial arts skills. Last night, she experienced such a terrifying ordeal. She was kicked in the lower back, and her arms and shoulders were slashed. She was also left to freeze for several hours in a thin dress on the street late at night. She was also under tremendous mental pressure.
Then, enduring the pain, she arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture, where she was given only a cup of lukewarm tea, no clothes, no bedding, no food, and no doctor. She was left to languish until dawn.
Even the strongest person can't withstand such a thing, so Li San Niang's body activated its self-protection mechanism and she fainted.
When the female official and the physician who had been summoned saw this, their hearts sank. The female official, in particular, thought to herself, "I hope this woman doesn't die here; otherwise, her sins will be immense."
The doctor who was invited did not recognize her at first. It was only after taking her pulse and getting closer that he realized that the woman being watched by the female official was Li San Niang from the Li family.
The first female physician in Chang'an to successfully pass the alliance's assessment, this physician, who was about forty years old and had been invited, had even gone to listen to Li San Niang's lecture out of curiosity.
"Li San Niangzi?"
"Dr. Wan, do you know her?"
"Alas, she was the first female physician in Chang'an, how could I not recognize her? How did she end up in such a state?"
Although Li San Niang didn't know the doctor, the doctor knew her.
After the doctor took her pulse, he quickly prescribed a decoction and instructed the female official to take the prescription to get the medicine for Li San Niang to drink.
The female official dared not leave Dr. Wan, who knew Li San Niang, alone, for who knew if they might conspire because they were doctors from the same alliance.
The female official called someone from outside the door, and then took the prescription to another person to get the medicine.
When Doctor Wan saw blood seeping from Li San Niang's left shoulder, he knew she was injured. Since the situation was urgent and there were female officials present, Doctor Wan asked one of them to help Li San Niang take off her clothes. He observed that the wound had stopped bleeding, but external force had torn it open and caused it to bleed again. The wound near Li San Niang's collarbone was particularly deep.
The lack of cleaning and medication overnight has led to some infection, which is why Li San Niang is currently experiencing a high fever and coma.
Without further ado, Doctor Wan put what he learned from Li San Niang into practice. Although he didn't have the alcohol that Li San Niang had mentioned, he could still clean and apply medicine.
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